Rachel Jones
Topic:How do standards, assessments, & accountability affect schools?
My specific question:
What has happened in regards to standards & assessments in the past, and what should be done in the future?
What is the problem or issue? - NCLB forced our schools into having assessments & accountability become the sole measure to determine school success. If children were not passing state tests, like the NECAP or HSPA, that means that the school should receive less funding and teachers should be held accountable for the low performance of their students. NCLB failed to determine what students should be learning; there were no standards or curriculum guildlines. As of right now, there are still no national standards. Something called the Common Core Standards has been adopted by the majority of states in the US within the past few months, which are a set of voluntary guidelines in English and math.
Why is this issue important? - We saw as a nation that the consequences of NCLB were negative towards our schools. It is important to determine what our children should be learning, and ensure that all children are receiving a fair and equal education. We must not assume that having our children passing standardized tests means that they are receiving a well-rounded education, or that they are prepared for college or the workforce.
What are the historical roots of this problem? What has been tried in the past? - In the past, there was a movement that was focused on trying to develop national standards. However, this failed when people started to claim the history standards were biased. Then NCLB focused the movement on testing & accountability.
What are the current approaches? - States are still implementing standardized tests in the school systems. CCS are being adopted by states at a rapid pace.
How does this problem/issue relate to RI schools? Is there evidence of a connection to the schools/districts/communities that we researched earlier? - RI has made standards & assessments a big part of the RI Strategic plan. They are planning on reviewing the NECAP and making changes to it if necessary. Also, RI has adopted the CCS.
What are your views, opinions, concerns, or solutions related to the problem? - I do not think that we should rely heavily on assessments & accountability in our schools. Instead, we need to focus on the quality of the education we give students. This should ensure that teachers are effective and that there are some sort of standards in the curriculum. I do not believe that there should be such a heavy emphasis on only math and english in our schools.
Topic:How do standards, assessments, & accountability affect schools?
My specific question:
What has happened in regards to standards & assessments in the past, and what should be done in the future?What is the problem or issue?
- NCLB forced our schools into having assessments & accountability become the sole measure to determine school success. If children were not passing state tests, like the NECAP or HSPA, that means that the school should receive less funding and teachers should be held accountable for the low performance of their students. NCLB failed to determine what students should be learning; there were no standards or curriculum guildlines. As of right now, there are still no national standards. Something called the Common Core Standards has been adopted by the majority of states in the US within the past few months, which are a set of voluntary guidelines in English and math.
Why is this issue important?
- We saw as a nation that the consequences of NCLB were negative towards our schools. It is important to determine what our children should be learning, and ensure that all children are receiving a fair and equal education. We must not assume that having our children passing standardized tests means that they are receiving a well-rounded education, or that they are prepared for college or the workforce.
What are the historical roots of this problem? What has been tried in the past?
- In the past, there was a movement that was focused on trying to develop national standards. However, this failed when people started to claim the history standards were biased. Then NCLB focused the movement on testing & accountability.
What are the current approaches?
- States are still implementing standardized tests in the school systems. CCS are being adopted by states at a rapid pace.
How does this problem/issue relate to RI schools? Is there evidence of a connection to the schools/districts/communities that we researched earlier?
- RI has made standards & assessments a big part of the RI Strategic plan. They are planning on reviewing the NECAP and making changes to it if necessary. Also, RI has adopted the CCS.
What are your views, opinions, concerns, or solutions related to the problem?
- I do not think that we should rely heavily on assessments & accountability in our schools. Instead, we need to focus on the quality of the education we give students. This should ensure that teachers are effective and that there are some sort of standards in the curriculum. I do not believe that there should be such a heavy emphasis on only math and english in our schools.